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 Midnyte Interview
interview 0090 added 07.02.02 words Spoon
A couple of years ago this very site brought you a Styly Cee produced track called ‘Nadia’ with an unheard of MC called Midnyte. Such was the response to it that Son Records took a closer look at what they had and it all resulted in the debut 4 track EP from Midnyte which was released on the 4th of February. Spoon took time out from a hectic days record shopping to catch up with Midnyte and beat him at pool (hah!)
Ok let's start from the start. Who are you?
I am...my name is Midnyte. Started out DJing about 7 years ago now, can't believe it was that long ago now, '94, '95, through my cousin who was a local DJ. I loved the music, loved the beats and just started through that. Hiphop music because my cousin was an RNB DJ, swing, soul, get the girls on floor music. That was all good but I wasn't really into that. I remember one time I came on and put on Shook Ones by Mobb Deep on and the floor just emptied.
Where did you use to play?
That was a place called Rosie O'Brians, which is the Social now. I was like 15 then, getting into clubs felt great. DJing, didn’t get paid but it was all good. My name, Midnyte, don’t mean shit, it doesn’t mean anything. The darkest hour, the quietest hour or something, on a solo tip I guess. I’ve got my family but I don’t roll in a crew and get into mischief and all that crap.
So When did you pick up the mic?
Through the DJing. My cousin had decks so I'd always be round his house, a three storey house and I'd always be like freestyling, messing about. Never was interested in rapping then. So it must have been about '96 cos I wrote Nadia in '97. I did a remix for him, an RNB acapella of some sort and we went to Stylys' which is where I first hooked up with him. Styly made up this quick beat and then put this acapella on it and I put 8 bars of rapping on it. I thought it sounded shit. I sounded dead American then. I knew from then that wasn't what I wanted to sound like. And I think now Im sounding more like I sound like. So yeah, about 96.
And your first track out was on the Lost Island album?
Yeah, 'That's the way it goes'. That tune opened my eyes to a lot of things because at the time...Frisco, I idolised him because he was the punch line king. I admired his confidence on the mic and everything...and when I heard Cappo I thought 'oh my god it's all over' and I read an article about him in HHC, Notts first British Knight and I thought 'shit'. I've heard a lot of MCs out of Notts but he's like....if he was a big time artist I'd have pictures of him on my walls! People like him inspire me stupidly. So, yeah that was the first thing I had out
And you got into that cos you knew Styly?
Yeah cos Styly used to be on a pirate station too and he knew my cousin through that. So through doing that remix thing for my cousin styly just started giving me beats. I've still got some of them. At the start it wasn't like...it's still a game to me, I was just messing around but all of a sudden there's a chance to put an EP out and I'm doing interviews and shit. I was just thinking of putting some vocals on dope beats. At the time a lot of people in Nottingham were into ragga and I wasn't really aware of the hiphop scene as big as it is. I watch TV and see Roots Manuva concerts in Amsterdam and everywhere and it's mad...
You got this EP partly on the strength of Nadia which is a couple of years old now. We had it as a download and it created a lot of interest. How did that track come about?
Haaa. Nadia was a real girl. I used to be a waiter at the Royal Moat house and there was this girl there called Nadia and she was amazing but I couldn't get the balls to talk to her. She was way out of my league, I'm not even gonna try. So I had the beat from styly sitting at home and '98 I just like wrote to fit the beat. I let the beat influence me, so it's all down to Styly, so I just came up with it. I can't really remember now. I started writing it and it was like, I hadn't done anything with her, this was just a girl that I liked, so I just linked into the hiphop thing. Everyone can relate to it. And then my mate, DJ Afro Blue, he's a dnb head he had this tape, a sampler of some bangra and was like 'look at this', a track called Nadia, and we played it and it was this 'Nadiaaaaa'. That doesn't happen. It was fate or something. So I ran the sample off with Styly and that was it. And that sample swang it. It was hard for me to notice that was the main thing, I love the beat. It's the way it all came together. So from that, I'm not forcing anything, if I cant write to a beat I'm not going to force anything.
The version on the EP, is that a re-recorded one?
I think it's the original because I did it again but over the last three or four years my voice has changed a lot. But it didn't work, that was how I sounded at the time. I wasn't intentionally trying to sound American but I didn't know what. There's a lot of different slang in Notts anyway, like the Radford areas are heavily Jamaican influence, then there's the normal backstreet notts slang.
Where were you brought up then?
Hyson Green, Radford But the whole accent thing. Now I'm just more relaxed, I write more naturally than I did then...you could say something and it would generate thoughts, like me and Cappo were round at Stylys and he said something like 'can I roll this Styly but I promise I won't smoke it' cos we were in his studio. And we were doing a tune 'in the area' for homegrown radio or something and it was a funny moment and I generated a lyric from it -
'Can I roll this but I promise I wont smoke it
But when it burns it's guaranteed that even blue watch won't approach it
Terry Venables gets a football kicked in his focus...'
So I just take anything, that's the best way. I hate forced stuff, I like the lyrics naturally. The show in Norwich last week I just forgot my lyrics and had to freestyle. I wasn't meant to cos I spent time learning my lyrics!
What about the other three tracks on the EP then?
They're all in the last year apart from 'them or us'. That was an old one again which I wrote to it but it was too forced and I scrapped it but I loved the beat and re-wrote the track and I think it sounds better, it's more what I had in mind for it now.
number 2 all over?
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So you work from tapes of beats?
I go round Stylys. I love going round there and he'll just play beats and it's like 'I love that beat' and he'll be 'do you want it?', 'well yeah!'. That's where it starts from cos form Djing as well I had a lot of stuff on vinyl and I started getting a lot more with instrumentals on and I love instrumentals. I'm starting to think I'm in the wrong business. But the thing with production is I wouldn't know when to stop.
You did Norwich, do you do many other live shows.
I don't. That's what I'm hoping to do now. I'd MC for my cousin but that was his thing, but this is what its about now. I want to put together a set of tracks. You can't rely on freestyling all the time. Norwich last week was Deftex, Styly, Huck Finn...Finn had like a vocalist and live violinist and that was amazing. That's my favourite instrument.
We've started seeing that a lot now with live instruments being part of a hiphop stageshow.
Definitely. I love Portishead, that live in New York show they did and I was like 'it's a DJ and an orchestra' and since then I try to follow other stuff as well. I'd definitely love to do a live orchestra thing. I had a mate who was on Pop Idol and I was like 'there's no way I could go on that and do that' they do like one verse and a chorus. I could rap over it but hiphop would just go way over their heads....but any man who can make beats I like to hear it and I'll rhyme over it. I find everything nowadays has got a hiphop element to it. I don't know shit about Robbie Williams but I t seems that everytime I see him he's rapping, so where's this all going. The beats, everything's gone hiphoppy. So rather than them lot trying to go hiphop I'll bring hiphop to you, know what I mean.
So what's the plan for world domination?
It's all about UK rap basically. If I was the only one doing it then I'd still do it but I wouldn't be anywhere near as confident. Mans like Roots Manuva, Blak Twang, Out Da Ville, Cappo, Mr. 45, artists like that it just shows you the potential around. You could play me tapes by crews I've never heard of and it'd just inspire me. Everyone's getting motivated by it. I'm not trying to dominate the world but if I could get paid by rapping then that'd be amazing...and then I could tell my mum! But she'd still bug me about getting a proper job...I could buy her a present or something but she'd probably think I'd started selling drugs or something. World domination....I just want to work with a load of UK artists, I just want to be a part of it cos US raps a load of bollocks now, I cant be bothered with the shit that's coming out now. And that's why I think the UK scenes strong cos it's totally different. I think its important, I say it now, it's important you sound British. I hear a lot of guys that sound like they want to be in Jay Zs crew or something. The Americans are way ahead, they took rap and made a load of money from it. We need to come with something different. It's already started, we just need to carry it on.
Who can you see following Roots Manuva and Mark B & Blade to the next level then?
That's a good question cos I cant see really why it's those that have blown up. The Roots Manuva albums amazing and he does most of the beats himself! Blak Twang I think is a tight lyricist. Braintax even, he makes me laugh. He rhymes like you're next to him in the room...I can see everyone making it, Cappo, Out Da Ville. But the ways it takes to be successful you might need to sell out. A lot of people are just way ahead of the time.
But you look at the extra sales Mark B and Blade got after doing the Feeder 'rock' remix and it's amazing
It comes down to what you want to do. Redman, he talks a load of bollocks but he's a character and someone you want to listen to and you can tell he's just being himself and to me that just says 'be yourself do what comes naturally and you can make it'
So these are your first 4 solo tracks. How many more have you got lying around?
I've got more rhymes than I have tunes. I've got lines that need to be on tunes. I'm doing stuff with DJ Fever. Him and styly are like pete rock and primo to me. The thing with him is I'll do the lyrics over a beat and he'll be 'ohh, that's wicked let me do a new beat for it', jump on his MPC and make a new thing. He vibes off me but I like to vibe off him, but from an MCs perspective I like to take a beat and write to it. I've got stuff with him. I've got stuff with Zero Theory, did three tracks for him, really different. That's for his LP on Catskillz. Stylys like old skool Z.T.s are just like up to date, the millennium sound. DJ Jam, he's an out da ville affiliate. The big black guy in Crossroads, Minty The Chef, he does a load of beats. Courtney, Trev's brother, is putting together a compilation album, gave me a cd of 17 beats. They're all mad. And I picked 9 of them and I've wrote three of them for myself, amazing beats.
Whats the deal with Son then? Just this one EP?
Yeah. But if they want to give me a new EP then I'd be happy to do it! I'm gonna send some more material, the stuff I'm doing with Fever.....that's all I can do at the end of the day make the tunes. But that will hopefully be the next one, I'd love to do an EP with Fever. Styly's doing his album and I'm doing a track with him. I just want to be one of those artists that's everywhere, a UK rapper.
Why Nottingham?
Cos we're the Midlands...the forgotten place. Everyone talks about the north and south. London's the capital fair enough but so what? People go through shit everywhere....Notts, I dunno, but the way you asked that....there's a lot of talent here
There seems to be a real scene. Everyone knows everyone
There's too many people to work with. I'd love to work with Joe Buddha, I used to buy records off him. There's MCs, DJs producers. I don't know what it is. I say to anyone who talks about UK rap, don't watch London. No disrespect but they get looked at just cos of that, everyone else, that's where the hunger is cos they have to prove that extra bit so that's where you'll find the best product.
If you had your own pub what would you call it?
You know what? I'd probably call it something to do with smoking. 'The ashes and rizla' or something, the brown and skunk. Something subtle....yeah ashes and rizla I like that one.
In ukhiphop the movie, who's going to play Midnyte.
Hah, I dunno. On an MC tip if I had to ask another MC to be me, I'd say someone like Karizma or Fidel Castro, someone crazy that could spit and I could get the props for it.
Whats your favourite flavour of crisps?
I've gone off crisps, but those bacon wheat crunchies, a proper crunch...walkers are shit. You take three and the packets gone. I don't like cheesy flavours or like, smoky bacon walkers which I can taste a day later
You started off with your cousin doing RNB. What do you think about the crossing of genres, like Rodney P doing garage and the so solid crew doing hiphop?
I actually do a bit of jungle MCing, afro blue and his lot, some mad dnb, skunk heads. It's good to a point. Rodney P doing garage. I'd probably rate it cos he's ill. If you can MC and can understand how to MC they can spit on anything, any tempo. Garage, jungle whatever and that's part of a Uk thing as well cos I grew up around rnb, raga, whatever so its about making hiphop work with whatever it is your doing. Garage MCs are just crap. I cant do house, but I try on dnb but if I cant do it then I stop there. So solid....that'll be interesting but I bet it'll be crap. I don't know it cos I don't know them MCs. A lot of them MCs might be hiphop mcs but I don't know. If it blows, if its as big as what they're doing now then it's all for the cause. No artist will be what everyone wants. There'll always be someone who likes doing boring albums about love songs or whatever but some people like it
styly midnyte
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What are you going to say to Nadia when she rings up and wants the royalties?
I'd say....if she's being live with me I'd say come over....
You got a message for her when she comes across this interview and realises you've done a track about her?
'If you remember me just give me a call but if you're on a beef tip then don't bother'
Any shout outs
All the people I've mentioned...the whole of the notts shit. Anyone in Nottingham who's doing a rap thing and knows me...all my family and cousins. Family and notts. Done.
What's your top 5 all time tracks
I think about this question all the time....straight away special ed, buckshot and masta ace, 'crooklyn dodgers' 94, amazing tune, qtip on the beat. 'shook ones', mobb deep, redman 'rockafella'. You know what....Mr 45, 'Radford ya get me' from way back...and, shit, there's a lot of tracks I like, just trying to get a whole scope. It'd have to be Mos Def...first track, 'Universal Magnetic'. Shit like that when you hear it....that's five tracks I could put on and could listen to all day.
Got anything new recently?
I listen to...the sticky fingaz album, not recent, the whole albums a story, wicked. A lot of UK stuff as well. Roots Manuva. Bits and bobs, nas, I listen to a lot of everything.
Anything else you want to say?
Not much, just don't listen to wack hiphop man, I see a lot of under-rated and a lot of over-rated people in hiphop and it's not right. You can go to little clubs or whatever and see things that amaze you and it's kids on giro or whatever and that's not right, shits got to change
Why should people buy your EP?
Cos...its what every man says, but... if you want to hear hiphop from a 22 year old black males point of view and want to hear someones different ideas. If you want to get something out of your music then buy it
What separates you from the crowd?
Cos I'm me. I'm not singing, I'm not dancing, I'm just having a good time, having a laugh. I'm just being myself and having a laugh, that's what separates me.
Midnytes debut 4 track EP,'Speak The Truth', is out now on Son Records. It's another MC from Notts just doing his thing and ending up a step above the masses. must be something in the water...
Spoon
 
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